<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Book Review 2009</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I thought of calling this the literary review of the year. But that would be pretentious. After all it&rsquo;s only a report on the books I read in 2009.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">&nbsp;</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It had been one of my resolutions for the year to read more. You could say I achieved that. I&rsquo;ll leave you to judge whether I used my time wisely.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">&nbsp;</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My 46 books included a biography of Brunel, three non-fiction titles (A Good Walk Spoilt {on golf}, Margaret Drabble&rsquo;s The Pattern in the Carpet and Martin Bell&rsquo;s A Very British Revolution), and Marit&rsquo;s collection of short stories.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">&nbsp;</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The top five fiction authors were Robert Goddard (9), Harlan Coben (5), Tess Gerritsen (5), Jonathan Kellerman (3), Patricia Cornwell and Daphne du Maurier (2 each). I enjoyed a number of Robert Goddard&rsquo;s books probably because I was familiar with the places in which they were set. Otherwise I can&rsquo;t see that they rest will be as well remembered as those by Daphne du Maurier.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">&nbsp;</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I managed to acquire four of Charles Darwin&rsquo;s books in one volume two years ago. I completed The Voyage of the Beagle in 2008 but have spent several months in 2009 wading through Origin of the Species. Darwin&rsquo;s prose is superb but takes some reading to follow his arguments. I will finish it soon I&rsquo;m sure.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">&nbsp;</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I also bought a leather bound edition of the works of Edgar Alan Poe. I had read many of his stories a long time ago but knew nothing about his poems. Thanks to the charity shop in which my wife works once a week I have also collected copies of the poems of Wordsworth and John Betjeman. I cannot imagine I would have every have done this if it weren&rsquo;t for the influence of Writelink.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">&nbsp;</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My favourite for the year turns out to be the poem by Betjeman on Seaside Golf which contains a line that says it all about my</span> game, &lsquo;That quite unprecedented three.&rsquo;</span></span></span></p>

<div id="post-body-1792238529692435121" class="post-body entry-content"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>While in Cornwall earlier this month we visited the city of Truro where I&rsquo;m pleased to say we avoided the shops.Inside the cathedral we found this painting which shows an aerial view of the county:</span></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <table class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HcW1R2xVTKA/TdYD96eg9OI/AAAAAAAADdc/XHzs7Lwg3xg/s576/Cornwall%20Cornubia%20May%202011%20058.jpg"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HcW1R2xVTKA/TdYD96eg9OI/AAAAAAAADdc/XHzs7Lwg3xg/s400/Cornwall%20Cornubia%20May%202011%20058.jpg" border="0" width="400" height="337" /></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;">Cornubia -Land of the Saints (John Miller)</span></strong></td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></td> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>You cannot fail to be impressed by the city&rsquo;s beautiful cathedral, of which more in later posts. It&rsquo;s very difficult to get a picture of the cathedral&rsquo;s exterior as it is surrounded by buildings. I did my best, but this model from inside the cathedral itself was the only &lsquo;complete&rsquo; view I managed.</span></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <table class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HcW1R2xVTKA/TdYDxXf1xYI/AAAAAAAADdY/6B5hOSNvfGY/s576/Cornwall%20Truro%20Cathedral%20model%20&amp;%20reflection%20May%202011%20054.jpg"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HcW1R2xVTKA/TdYDxXf1xYI/AAAAAAAADdY/6B5hOSNvfGY/s400/Cornwall%20Truro%20Cathedral%20model%20&amp;%20reflection%20May%202011%20054.jpg" border="0" width="400" height="343" /></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;">T</span><span style="font-size: small;">ruro Cathedral</span></strong><span style="font-size: small;"> <strong>model</strong></span></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div style="text-align: left;"><span>&nbsp;</span></div> <span style="font-size: medium;"><span>While we were there it was also time for the annual Daphne du Maurier festival at Fowey. Inside Truro Cathedral I found this memorial plaque to &lsquo;Q,&rsquo; Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch .</span></span><br /> <br /> <table class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HcW1R2xVTKA/TdYEJslYMbI/AAAAAAAADdg/Ar4Ya8W8iPw/s640/Cornwall%20Q%20Plaque%20May%202011%20060.jpg"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HcW1R2xVTKA/TdYEJslYMbI/AAAAAAAADdg/Ar4Ya8W8iPw/s400/Cornwall%20Q%20Plaque%20May%202011%20060.jpg" border="0" width="400" height="300" /></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Memorial Plaque - Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch (Q)</strong></span></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div style="text-align: center;"><span>&nbsp;</span></div> <br /> <span style="font-size: medium;"><span>In 1930 Daphne, and Q&rsquo;s daughter, Foy spent the night at an inn on Bodmin Moor; that visit and her meeting with the white-haired vicar of Altarnun inspired Daphne to write &lsquo;Jamaica Inn.&rsquo; </span></span> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>The Daphne and Quiller-Couch connection goes further. Daphne spent the last years of her life in a house call Kilmarth. From the picture windows of the house it was possible to see the sea and onwards beyond towards Frenchman&rsquo;s Creek. Daphne wrote, a few years after &lsquo;Jamaica Inn,&rsquo; what she called her only truly romantic novel. Its title &lsquo;Frenchman&rsquo;s Creek&rsquo; &ndash; a title previously used by &lsquo;Q&rsquo;.</span></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>The link continued after Q&rsquo;s death when Foy asked Daphne to finish Castle Dor, a book started by her father.</span></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span><br /> </span></div> </div> <p>&nbsp;</p>